A Kalashnikov-designed motorcycle is expected to join Russian President Vladimir Putin's motorcade by next year, according to the state corporation Rostec, which is overseeing the project.
The chief designer of the motorcycle is Kalashnikov Concern, known worldwide as a leading weapons manufacturer and best known for AK-47 and AK-74 assault rifles, RT.com reported.
The all-black concept bike, labeled 'Izh,' finished a test drive on the Formula One racetrack in Sochi in 2017 and can travel up to 155 miles per hour.
CNN reported last year that the Russian government sold 51 percent of Kalashnikov to a private company called TransKomplektHolding last year, which is owned in part by Kalashnikov chief executive Alexey Krivoruchko.
The sale was part of a privatization drive that Putin announced in 2016 when Russia was suffering from collapsing oil prices and sanctions, thus needing cash, according to CNN. The U.S. had banned the import of Kalashnikov weapons into America at that time.
"We have shown the prototype, and our current goal is to create a truly innovative product, in accordance with all safety regulations," Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive of Rostec, told reporters at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Saturday, according to RT.com.
The motorcycle will be part of the Kortezh, or motorcade, project line that will also include bulletproof limos manufactured for Russian political elite. A Kortezh limo was recently used by Putin during his swearing-in ceremony.
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